New GS1 US Retail Grocery Initiative Aims to Address Supply Chain and Regulatory Challenges Through Industry-Wide Adoption and Implementation of GS1 Standards

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J., June 19, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new Retail Grocery Initiative facilitated by GS1 US aims to address industry challenges with broad adoption and implementation of GS1 Standards, the most widely used supply chain standards in the world. Uniting suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, solution providers and industry associations, the GS1 US Retail Grocery Initiative gathered industry stakeholders for its inaugural meeting on June 10, 2014 during the GS1 Connect 2014 conference.

The GS1 US Retail Grocery Initiative serves to facilitate collaboration across industry to address high-priority supply chain and regulatory challenges impacting the entire industry. During the initial meeting, more than 150 industry stakeholders gathered and identified high priority topics impacting their businesses that could be addressed by the Initiative, including alignment on product information for business and consumer use, standardized usage of images and adherence to regulations from the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), among others. Industry stakeholders will continue to finalize Initiative goals and objectives in the coming months.  

"The GS1 US Retail Grocery Initiative helps industry address the issues impacting their businesses now and for many years ahead," said Angela Fernandez, vice president of retail grocery and foodservice, GS1 US. "Through a formal Initiative, members have the opportunity to provide their thought leadership and expertise to shape the future of the industry and to address a few critical industry issues to drive solutions faster, better and more efficiently, enabling broad industry adoption."

Collaboration has taken center stage as companies realize that profitable growth can result by effectively leveraging the combined strength of their trading partner network. A study by the Boston Consulting Group and the Grocery Manufacturers Association says business-to-business collaboration is a major source of untapped value in the food industry, worth up to $21 billion industrywide. The GS1 US Retail Grocery Initiative will identify emerging industry challenges and facilitate collaboration to develop best practices for utilizing GS1 Standards to address key issues and drive supply chain efficiencies, creating a more powerful, singular approach by the industry.

GS1 Standards have been used by the retail grocery industry for more than 40 years. In 1973, the grocery industry came together to agree on one way of doing business by adopting the U.P.C. barcode. GS1 US has been working with industry ever since to address business process needs and drive supply chain efficiencies. The GS1 US Retail Grocery Initiative will build on 40 years of industry progress and align industry to address current and future challenges.

To learn more about the GS1 US Retail Grocery Initiative and to join, please visit www.gs1us.org/retailgrocery. For more information about GS1 US, including other industry initiatives, visit www.gs1us.org.

About the GS1 US Retail Grocery Initiative
By bringing together industry leaders from grocery, fresh foods and consumer packaged goods, the GS1 US Retail Grocery Initiative identifies specific industry challenges and develops potential solutions to continue the progress toward more efficiencies, enhanced risk management and business growth. For more information please visit www.gs1us.org/retailgrocery.

About GS1 US
GS1 US, a member of the global information standards organization GS1^®, brings industry communities together to solve supply-chain problems through the adoption and implementation of GS1 Standards. Nearly 300,000 businesses in 25 industries rely on GS1 US for trading-partner collaboration and for maximizing the cost effectiveness, speed, visibility, security and sustainability of their business processes. They achieve these benefits through solutions based on GS1 global unique numbering and identification systems, barcodes, Electronic Product Code (EPC^®)-enabled RFID, data synchronization and electronic information exchange. GS1 US also manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code^® (UNSPSC^®). www.GS1US.org.

SOURCE GS1 US